Railroad safety device



Feb. 17, 1942. D. GUERRERO 2,

RAILROAD SAFETY DEV-ICE Original Filed Dec. 1, 1939 2 sheets sheet 1INVENTOR .01. (9o Guerrera ATTORNEY Feb. 17, 1942.

D GUERRERO RAILROAD SAFETY DEVICE Original Filed Dec. 1, 1959 2Sheets-Sheet 2 R m Y M 3 2M 3 N e R f m j a A 9 ma W Patented Feb. 17,1942 Griginal application December 1, 19-39, Serial No.

307,127. Divided and this application Novembi-3P5, 1940, Serial' No.364,350

6 Claims. This application is a division of my application, Serial No;307,127,,filed December .1, 1939,

for Railroad safety devices.

This invention relates to, railroad safety devices, and is particularlydirected to means for preventing derailment oi'the trucks or cars ofeither a toy railroad car or regular railroad.

An object of this invention is to provide a safety device for toyrailroads, including a frame having ,parallel longitudinal membersslidably mounted on the wheel axles of the truck, and fins at the ends.of each of .said' members, disposed above the head of the rail andbeneath the inner portion of the headof the rail and normally having aclearance with respect .to the rail, except when called into play toprevent derailment, spring units beingfurther provided between the endsof .said longitudinal members to resiliently press said membersapart,whereby the safetyfins may besnapped into-positionto facilitateapplicationof the toy truck to the rails .or removal of the trucktherefrom.

The purpose of the upper fin is to make it a more perfect miniature of areal regular rail of the type I am endeavoring to patent for regularrailroad-s in my above-identified patent applicaifiOh. I

A further object of this invention is to provide ;a strong, rugged anddurable rail safety device of the character described, which shall berelativeiy inexpensive to manufacture, and yet prac- :tical andefficient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter pointed out.

' The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, andarrangement of parts which will beexemplified "the construction hereinafter described, and of whichthe'scope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying. drawings, in which is shown one of the variouspossible illustrative embodiments of this. invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of toy rail tracksand a truck mounted thereonand provided with safety derailment device, embodying the invention.

'F-ig. 2 is. a side elevational view of the structure showninFig. .1.

Fig. 3 .is a cross-sectional view taken .011 line Fig. 6 is across-sectional View taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4. f

Fig. 7 is a top plan viewof the safety frame.

Fig. 8 is an-enlarged detailed view of a portion of Fig. 6.

Referring now in detail to the drawingsFi'gs. 1 to 6 are directed totoyrailroad construction, embodying the invention, designated by numerall6. Said railroad construction comprises rail ties H, on which aremounted rails l2 attached to the ties, in any suitable manner, and athird rail [4 mounted on the ties H and disposed between the rails l"2.,

.Fig. dis an-enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4-of Fig. .2.

Fig. .5 is across-sectional yiew taken on line openings 36 at its outerends.

On the rails 12 is a truck l5 supporting a car and comprises a pair ofside frames l1 carrying parallel axles 18, on which are carried wheels16, rolling on the rails l2. The side frames H are inter-connected' bythe usual spring assembly 21, on which the car I6 is mounted.

Means is provided to prevent the derailment of the truck. To this end,there is slidably'mounted on the axles, and disposed between the wheelsIS, a safety frame 25. The same comprises a pair of similar,symmetrically disposed, parallel, longitudinal side members .26 disposedbeneath the spring assembly .21 and formed with semicylindric'al notches2'! .to receive the axles. Bolted .to the members 26, are members '28formed with'semi-cylindrical notches to receive saidv axles. The sidemembers 26 are thus slida'bly mounted on the axles and may be movedtoward one another, as will appear hereinafter.

Each side member 26 is formed with threaded Riveted to the outer end ofeach member 26, as by rivets 3|, is a member 32 having a wall 33contacting the outer wall 36 is formed with a threaded opening 39registering with one of the threaded openings 30.

"To limit movement of members 26 away from each other, there is providedat each end of the safety frame 25, a strap member 42 having parallelarms 44 overlying walls 33, and formed with openings43, and a portioninter-connecting said arms.

Screwed within the openings 30 and 39 are aligned, symmetrical, inwardlyextending pins 41,

loosely passing through the opening 43 and formed with reduced inner endportions 48, for the purpose hereinafter appearing.

Mounted on each pair of aligned pin portions 48, is a sleeve 50 slidablyreceiving said pin portions, and disposed parallel to strap 42. On eachof the ends of the sleeves 50 is a sleeve 5!. Interposed between thesleeves 5|, and disposed on sleeve 50, is a coil compression spring 52servthe truck may be lifted off the rail. When the truck is mounted onthe rail, side members 26 are first pressed toward each other, and thetruck placed on therail. The side members are then released, so that thesprings 52 snap the safety devices 32 into position for preventingderailment of the truck.

It will be noted that under ordinary conditions, the flanges or fins 36and 31 of the flanges 38 do not contact the rail head or the rail, sothat there is no friction or wearing of parts.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which theseveral objects of this invention are achieved, and which is Welladapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention,and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth,it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A railroad truck having an axle carrying wheels engageable on a pairof spaced tracks, a pair of longitudinal members slidably mounted onsaid axle to move laterally of said truck, downwardly extending finsformed on the ends of said members and engageable with the inside facesof the heads of said tracks to prevent derailment of the truck, meansfor limiting the outward movement of said members to positions in whichsaid fins will be in close proximity to the inside faces of said heads,a sleeve of a length shorter than the space between the adjacent facesof said members, means supporting said sleeve between the ends of saidmembers, a pair of spaced sleeves on said first sleeve, and resilientmeans on said first sleeve and operating between the inner ends of saidsecond sleeve for spreading said second sleeves to cause their outerends to engage the inner faces of said members and spread said membersto cause said fins to be disposed in close proximity to the inside facesof the heads of said tracks, whereby said members may be squeezedtogether against the action of said resilient means to disengage saidfins from beneath said track heads permitting said truck to be removedfrom said tracks.

2. A railroad truck having an axle carrying wheels engageable on a pairof spaced tracks, a pair of longitudinal members slidably mounted onsaid axle to move laterally of said truck,

downwardly extending fins formed on the ends of said members andengageable with the inside faces of the heads of said tracks to preventderailment of the truck, means for limiting the outward movement of saidmembers to positions in which said fins will be in close proximity tothe inside faces of said heads, a sleeve of a length shorter than thespace between the adjacent faces of said members, means supporting saidsleeve between the ends of said members, a pair of spaced sleeves onsaid first sleeve, and resilient means on said first sleeve andoperating between the inner ends of said second sleeves for spreadingsaidgsecond sleeves to cause their outer ends to engage the inner facesof said members and spread said members to cause said fins to bedisposed in close proximity to the inside faces of the heads of saidtracks, whereby said members may be squeezed together against the actionof said resilient means to disengage said fins from beneath said trackheads permitting said truck to be removed from said tracks, saidfirstmentioned means comprising parallel laterally extending membersdisposed between the ends of said longitudinal members, and rightangular flange portions extended along the outside faces of saidlongitudinal members.

3. A railroad truck having an axle carrying wheels engageable on a pairof spaced tracks, a pair of longitudinal members slidably mounted onsaid axle to move laterally of said truck and formed with alignedopenings, downwardly extending fins formed on the ends of said membersand engageable with the inside faces of heads of said tracks to preventderailment of the truck, means for limiting the outward movement of saidmembers to positions in which said fins will be in close proximity tothe inside faces of said heads, a sleeve of a length shorter than thespace between the adjacent faces of said members supported between theends of said members, a pair of spaced sleeves on said first sleeve, andresilient means on said first sleeve and operating between the innerends of said second sleeves for spreading said second sleeves to causetheir outer ends to engage the inner faces of said members and spreadsaid members to cause said fins to be disposed in close proximity to theinside faces of the heads of said tracks, whereby said members may besqueezed together against the action of said resilient means todisengage said fins from beneath said track heads permitting said truckto be removed from said tracks, said first-mentioned means comprisingparallel laterally extending members disposed between the ends of saidlongitudinal members, and right angular flange portions extended alongthe outside faces of said longitudinal members and having openings inaligned positions with the openings in said longitudinal members, saidsupport for said first-mentioned sleeve, comprising pins freely extendedthrough the openings in said flange portions and threadedly engagedthrough the openings in said longitudinal members and having endsextended freely into the open ends of said first-mentioned sleeve.

4. A railroad truck having an axle carrying wheels engageable on a pairof spaced tracks, a pair of longitudinal members slidably mounted onsaid axle to move laterally of said truck and formed with alignedopenings, downwardly extending fins formed on the ends of said membersand engageable with the inside faces of the heads of said tracks toprevent derailment of the truck, means for limiting the outward movementof said members to positions in which said fins will be in closeproximity to the inside faces of said heads, a sleeve of a lengthshorter than the space between the adjacent faces of said memberssupported between the ends of said members, a pair of spaced sleeves onsaid first sleeve, and resilient means on said first sleeve andoperating between the inner ends of said second sleeves for spreadingsaid second sleeves to cause their outer ends to engage the inner facesof said members and spread said members to cause said fins to bedisposed in close proximity to the inside faces of the heads of saidtracks, whereby said members may be squeezed together against the actionof said resilient means to disengage said fins frombeneath said trackheads permitting said truck to be removed from said tracks, said'first-mentioned means comprising parallel laterally extending membersdisposed between the ends of said longitudinal members, and rightangular flange portions extended along the outside faces of saidlongitudinal members and having openings in aligned positions with theopenings in said longitudinal members, said support for saidfirst-mentioned sleeve comprising pins freely extended through theopenings in said flange portions and threadedly engaged through theopenings in said longitudinal members and having ends extended freelyinto the open ends of said first-mentioned sleeve, said pins havingtheir heads spaced from the outer faces 'of said flange memberspermitting said longitudinal members to be moved infirst sleeve, andresilient means on said first sleeve and operating between the innerends of said second sleeves for spreading said second sleeves to causetheir outer ends to engage the inner faces of said members and spreadsaid members to cause said fins to be disposed in close proximity to theinside faces of the heads of said tracks, whereby said members may besqueezed together against the action of said resilient means todisengage said fins from beneath said track heads permitting said truckto be removed from said tracks, said resilient means, comprising aspring coaxially mounted on said first-mentioned sleeve and bearingagainst the inner ends of each pair of spaced sleeves.

6. A railroad truck having an axle carrying wheels engageable on a pairof spaced tracks, a

pair of longitudinal members slidably mounted on said axle to movelaterally of said truck, downwardly extending fins formed on the ends ofsaid members and engageable with the inside wards until said headsstrike the outside faces of said flange members.

5. A railroad truck having an axle. carrying wheels engageable on a pairof spaced tracks, a pair of longitudinal members slidably mounted onsaid axle to move laterally of said truck and formed with alignedopenings, downwardly extending fins formed on the ends of said membersand engageable with the inside faces of the heads of said tracks toprevent derailment of the truck,

means for limiting the outward movement of said members to positions inwhich said fins will be in close proximity to the inside faces of saidheads, a sleeve of a length shorter than the space between the adjacentfaces of said members, means supporting said sleeve between the ends ofsaid members, a pair of spaced sleeves on said engaged over the innerends of each pair of faces of the heads of said tracks to preventderailment of the truck, means for limiting the outward movement of saidmembers to positions in which said fins will be in close proximity tothe inside faces of said heads, a sleeve of a length shorter than thespace between the adjacent faces of said members, means supporting saidsleeve between the ends of said members, a pair of spaced sleeves onsaid sleeve, and resilient means on said first sleeve and operatingbetween the inner ends of said second sleeves for spreading said secondsleeves to cause their outer ends to engage the inner faces of saidmembers and spread said members to cause said fins to be disposed inclose proximity to the inside faces of the heads of said tracks, wherebysaid members may be squeezed together against the action ient means,comprising a spring coaxially mounted on said first-mentioned sleeve andbearing against the inner ends of each pair of spaced sleeves, and acover sleeve of a length equal to the length of said first-mentionedsleeve and spaced sleeves and said springs.

, DIEGO GUERRERO.

